Cleavable cellulosic sponge for functional hepatic cell culture and retrieval

Interconnected macroporous hydrogel is hydrophilic; it exhibits soft tissue-like mechanical property and aqueous-stable macroporosity for 3D spheroid culture. There is an unmet need to develop cleavable macroporous hydrogel, for the ease of retrieving functional spheroids for further in vitro and in vivo applications. We have developed and comprehensively characterized a hydroxypropyl-cellulose-disulfide sponge by systematically identifying strategies and synthesis schemes to confer cleavability to the sponge under cell-friendly conditions. It preserved the essential advantages of the macroporous hydrogel to support 3D spheroid formation and maintenance of sensitive hepatocytes while allowing rapid cleavage and retrieval of functional spheroids. By culturing HepaRG as spheroids in the cleavable sponge, we have accelerated HepaRG differentiation to 9 days compared to 28 days in 2D culture. Cytochrome P450 basal activity reached significantly higher level, while albumin secretion and fluorescein diacetate staining indicated the same at day 5. The purity of albumin+ hepatocytes reached 92.9% versus 7.1% of CK19+ cholangiocytes at day 9, a much stronger preference for hepatocytes than the 60% albumin+ hepatocytes purity in 2D culture. HepaRG differentiated hepatocytes were retrieved by cleaving the sponge with 10 mM tris-(2-carboxyethyl)-phosphine (TCEP) within 30 min preserving viability, plateability and positive albumin staining of the hepatocyte spheroids. This cleavable macroporous hydrogel sponge will support the rapid development of various 3D spheroid- or organoid-based applications in basic research and drug testing.